Metal wall panels



Aug. 12, 1958 J. J.'GRUBER METAL WALL PANELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 16, 1956 INVENTOR.

JOSE H J.GRUBER BY W ATTORNEYS 1953 J. J. GRUBER 2,847,099

METAL WALL PANELS Filed Jan. 16, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JOSEPH J. GRUBER United States Patent METAL WALL PANELS Joseph J. Gruber, Lancaster, NIX, assignor to Fen'estra Incorporated, a corporation of Michigan l plication- January 16,1956, Serial: No. 559,330 4 claims. ct. 189;

The present invention. relates to metal wan; panels particular'ly adapted to form the exterior curtain. wallsof building constructions. 1

It is an object of'the present invention to provide a metal wall panel comprising-component parts, manufac..- tured in the shop and assembled" on thejob' in the field.

It is further object of the present. in-ye'ntion, to provide a metal wall panel, that can be easily erected, and. assembledin' the field with only .the us'of-handi'tools.

Other objects'and" features, of the invention will bj come apparent as the description proceeds; especially when taken in conjunction wflh the accompanying; drawings, wherein:

Figure 1' is a perspective View ofa- Ijht'tidii of the; as;- semb'led. p'an'el' partly broken away;

Figur'e Z' is a top vi'ew'o'f. a portion" of, the" assembled p'a'nel' show in Fi ure. 1'.

Figure 3 is an e'xplod'dview'; artly'brerefiawagjot a portion of the panel showing the component parts and how they. fit together. H

Figure 4 isjan enlarged view of a saddle. clip.

Figure 5 is a-top view' of' the saddle" clip shown in Figure 4..

Figure 6 is an enlarged viewof awportion of the panel attachment to a channel-shaped" member.

Referring now to the drawings; ther'e is illustratedgenerally at 10 a panel assembly having fluted plates 12 usually exposed to the weather side of the building construction, and flat plates 14 usually facing the interior of the building construction. The fluted plates have a male lap 16 along one terminal edge and a groove 18 along the opposite terminal edge to form a lap joint 20 when the plates are assembled in side by side relationship. The flat plates have the male lap 22 and a groove 24 along opposite terminal edges to form the lap joint 26.

Z-shaped members or support bars 28. are attached to the fiat plates 14 by spot welds 30 spaced along the length of the members. Channel-shaped members or girts 32 are held in position against the members 28 by saddle clips 34.. The girt members each comprise a web and edge flanges forming legs thereon. Apertures 36 which preferably are prepunched, in clips 34 are in alignment with apertures 38 in members 28 to receive the drive rivets 40 that hold the pieces assembled. Apertures 38 are intended to be drilled in the field to be in alignment with the prepunched apertures 36.

Girt members 32 are of a length to span a plurality of fiat plates 14 and are placed adjacent the top and bottom of the wall assembly and spaced intermediate the top and bottom appropriate distances to provide rigidity to the assembly. I

Fluted plates 12 are attached to the members 32 by drive rivets 40. A strip 42 of insulating material serves to prevent through metal conductivity of heat from one side to the other of the wall assembly. Batts 44 of insulating material such as glass fibre serve to provide heat insulating qualities to the finished wall.

The prefabricated members of the wall assembly are shipped, disassembled to theconstructionsite where they are to be assembled to form a building wall. To secure the Wall to the building, structural members such as'the channel 50 and angle 52 are provided as part of the building structure. 7

A first'plate member- 14 is erected-in the proper position with its top attached to channel. 50 and its bottom to angle. 52 by belts or drive rivets- 46, or if desirable by. welding. A sealing compound54 isplaced inthe bottom. of the groove 24 of the second plate member 14 and it;is. erectedalongside of the. first plate-with the groove 24 fitting over the lap 22 to form a weathertight-joint 26 when. the lap becomes 'imbedded in.- the sealing com, pound. To additionally makethe joint. secure-a hand tool is used to'crimp the metal as at-56, Figure 5,,at spots spaced along' thelength of-the joint; The second plate is also. secured. to structural membersSO. and 52 by bolting or welding. Additional plates arev erected side by side in the same manner for thelength of. the wall.

After the flat plates have been erected the batts- 44 are placed position between the members 28.- and the joints 26-. The channel-shaped members 32 are then placed against members-28- and held. secure withsaddle clips 34' by drilling apertures 38 in alignment. With-the,apertures 36, placing the drive rivets 40 through aligned apertures and- 3.8, anddriving the pin. 58. inward. until its endtisflush-with the top. ofi-the rivet head spreading the opposite= end of the. rivet. body. g

Whenmembers 32 are not. of-- a-- suflicientlength to the: length of the wall a secondmember'32-isplaced end. to end with. the. first. member with their abutting ends being-positioned under a clip 34,, as best: seen in Figures 4. and: 5 With the clip inplace over'the abutting ends of tlie channel-shaped. members; apertures- 60- and 62 are drilledthrough the clip and eaclitofthe abuttingends of the. members 32, respectively. Drive rivets'are: secured in. the apertures in the samemanner as, previously described. The; insulating strip. 42-isapplied; over the girt-member 32; by; means ofJ-a-suitable adhesive or a striprrnaybe used'having a pressure sensitive adhesive on one side that will adhere to the member.

Fluted plates 12 are erected against the insulating strip 42 and are positioned laterally with respect to the plates 14 so that the Web portions 64 come alongside of the clips 34, as best seen in Figure 2. With the first plate 12 in correct horizontal and vertical position, apertures 66 are drilled through the plate 12, strip 42 and girt channel 32. Drive rivets are placed through apertures 66 and driven secure.

Sealing compound 68 is .placed in groove 18 of a second plate 12 and the plate erected alongside of the first plate with the. groove fitting over the lap joint 16 of the first plate to form a weathertight joint 20 when the lap becomes embedded in the sealing compound. Apertures 66 are drilled in the second plate and drive rivets are used to secure the plates. With the use of the hand tool crimps 70, best seen in Figure 6, may if desired be spaced along the joint 20. Additional plates 12 are erected in the same manner to' complete the wall assembly.

1 At the ends of the wall or where openings occur plates 72 close the openings. They are erected in place by drilling apertures 74 in plates 12, and 76 in plate 72 preferably. simultaneously. with plates 72 in erected position, and placing drive rivets through the apertures.

If desirable, the construction can be dismounted by removing rivets and/or bolts. Rivets may be removed by driving pins 58 on through the rivet, which may then be pulled out.

It can be readily understood from the foregoing description that the components of the wall can be prefabricated in the shop, shipped to a building site and assembled on the job into a finished wall with only the use of hand tools.

The improved prefabricated field applied wall panel is described in such clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is: I

1. In a wall construction, a plurality of edge-lapped panels, a flanged support bar carried by each panel intermediate its edges, the flange of said bar being parallel to and spaced from the plane of said panel, a girt member of U-shaped cross-section having a length to span a plurality of panels, the free edges of the legs of said U- shaped girt member engaging the flanges of said flanged bars, the webs of said U-shaped girt members being spaced from the plane of said flanges, clips securing said girt members to said flanges, said clips comprising a U- shaped portion overlying said girt members and apertured assembly flanges engaging the flanges of said support bars, and rivets connecting said assembly flanges to the flanges of said support bars.

2. In a wall construction, a plurality of edge-lapped panels, a flanged support bar carried by each panel intermediate its edges, the flange of said bar being parallel to and spaced from the plane of said panel, a girt member of U-shaped cross-section having a length to span a plurality of panels, the free edges of the legs of said U-shaped girt member engaging the flanges of said flanged bars, the webs of said U-shaped girt members being spaced from the plane of said flanges, clips securing said girt members to said flanges, said clips comprising a U-shaped portion overlying said girt members and apertured assembly flanges engaging the flanges of said support bars, blind rivets connecting said assembly flanges to the flanges of said support bars, additional panels, means connecting the additional panels to the girt members, and thermal insulating strips covering said girt members and interposed between said girt members and said additional panels and insulating said additional panels from said girt members.

3. A wall construction comprising a plurality of edgelapped panels, a flanged support bar carried by each panel intermediate its edges, the flange of said bar being parallel to and spaced from the plane of said panel, a girt member of U-shaped cross-section having a length to span a plurality of panels, the free edges of the legs of said U-shaped girt member engaging the flanges of said flanged bars, the webs of said U-shaped girt members being spaced from the plane of said flanges, clips securing said girt members to said flanges, said clips comprising a U-shaped portion overlying said girt members and apertured assembly flanges engaging the flanges of said support bars, rivets connecting said assembly flanges to the flanges of said support bars, and fluted panels secured to said girt members with inwardly concave fluted portions spanning said clips, and inwardly convex portions directly adjacent said clips connected to the webs of said girt members, said inwardly convex portions and the webs of said girt members having aligned apertures, and blind rivets expanded in the apertures.

4. Metal wall structure adapted for field assembly comprising first coplanar edge-lapped panels for initial connection to a frame, a support bar permanently secured to each of said first panels located intermediate and extending substantially parallel to the lapped edges thereof, said bars having flanges parallel to and spaced outwardly from the plane of said first panels, elongated girt members spanning a plurality of said first panels and extending substantially perpendicular to said bars, saddle clips spanning said girt members and having flanges engaging the flanges of said support bars, means securing the flanges of said saddle clips to the flanges of said support bars, second coplanar edge-lapped panels, means connecting said second panels to said girt members, and a thermal insulating strip covering said girt members and interposed between said girt members and said second panels and insulating said second panels from said girt members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

